Ravens-Way Wild Journeys

03/13/2023

Looking forward to seeing you on Sunday, March 26th at 2:00pm at The LOFT Cinema in Tucson for the Premiere of my new film: Biodiversity in the Heart of the Sky Islands

01/10/2023

An invitation to all fellow Nature-lovers and Conservationists:

If you love all things wild and feel compelled to help protect the landscapes and species that make the Sky Islands so unique, then you won’t want to miss this ground-breaking film!

Join Wildlife Biologist, Naturalist, & Ethnobotanist Vincent Pinto on Sunday, March 26, 2023 at 2:00pm - at The LOFT Theater in Tucson - for the Premier of his new Film:

Biodiversity in the Heart of the Sky Islands

This Nature documentary explores Arizona’s renowned Sky Islands - a region hosting more biodiversity than any comparable area in the U.S. Southeast Arizona hosts soaring mountain ranges carpeted with forests - each isolated by surrounding foreboding deserts and parched grasslands. These ranges are thus virtual habitat islands, lending the region its most famous name - “The Sky Islands”. Here we enjoy a world-class biodiversity hotspot!

Six different biological provinces overlap in this region: Rocky Mountains, Sierra Madre, Sonoran Desert, Chihuahuan Desert, Great Plains, and Neo-tropics. This new film explores the wilds of these key Sky Islands conservation zones, their rich ecology and inherent beauty - including new threats to their valuable natural resources and continued survival.

In the heart of this Madrean Archipelago the Patagonia Mountains and Sonoita Creek support a myriad of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates, as well as a dazzling array of native plants. The film delves deeply into the lives of their intriguing species.

Join us to learn why we are so fortunate to enjoy such amazing biodiversity in the Madrean Archipelago. Furthermore, discover the biodiversity, beauty and looming threats to the ecological integrity of the Patagonia Mountains and Sonoita Creek.

Vincent Pinto is the founder of Ravens-Way Wild Journeys (RWWJ). Since 1987 he has been passionate about the urgent need to help protect the unique Sky Islands biodiversity, offering education and conservation programs via RWWJ.
In addition, as a Patagonia Area Resource Alliance (PARA) Board Member, Vincent felt compelled to help protect local flora and fauna by coming up with the concept of this ground-breaking film. This Nature documentary promotes the urgent need for conservation efforts in the Patagonia Mountains and Sonoita Creek.

Vincent serves as the Screenwriter, Narrator, and on-screen Host in his new film "Biodiversity in the Heart of the Sky Islands".
He approaches the content of the film with a broad view - giving prominence to both rare and common species, temperate and tropical ones, the flashy and the cryptic… The result is a kaleidoscopic view of our region’s much vaunted, yet highly imperiled biodiversity.

All of the proceeds from the film will benefit PARA to support its ongoing conservation efforts in the Patagonia Mountains & Sonoita Creek.

Come, enjoy, get involved, and make a difference!

04/22/2020

Sharing with love and very good wishes nature's beauty during a bountiful Spring at Raven's Nest Nature Sanctuary!

05/04/2015

FABULOUS SKY ISLANDS BIRDING AT RAVEN'S NEST NATURE SANCTUARY BY PATAGONIA LAKE!

05/04/2015

OUR UNIQUE SKY ISLANDS NATURE ADVENTURES!

05/04/2015

04/24/2014

WILDERNESS SURVIVAL KIT:
SOMETHING FROM NOTHING IN THE WILD!

During this workshop you will create an ingenious and potentially life-saving Survival Kit using only the raw materials provided by Nature. The kit will be lightweight, efficient, and durable. Join Wilderness Survival instructor, Vincent Pinto to learn how to sustain yourself in a wilderness survival situation. Vincent will share his 30+ years survival experience in the wild and will show you how the items you'll make for your Survival Kit will help you to: make fire by friction (without matches!), signal rescuers, procure food, create natural shelter, collect & filter water, craft effective wilderness tools, make sunscreen, and much more!

WHEN: JUNE 1

TUITION: $75 includes all materials, use of all our facilities: unique Stone-age Village, amazing Nature & Science Discovery Center, Organic Gardens & Orchard, miles of Nature Trails at Raven's Nest Nature Sanctuary, incinerator toilets, picnic areas, and much more by Patagonia Lake, AZ!

04/22/2014

PRIMITIVE LIVING II - INTO THE WILDS.... APPLIED STONE-AGE & SURVIVAL SKILLS - Upcoming Workshop: June 8 - 10, 2014.

Our 3- day intermediate Stone-age Skills course allows you to take your knowledge to a new level. Set amidst the Chiricahua Mountains, Wilderness Survival Instructor, Naturalist, Ethnobotanist & Wildlife Biologist Vincent Pinto will help you transition into the Wilds of Arizona. Some of the skills we’ll cover include: Advanced Rope-Making, Fire-Plow and Bow-Drill Fire-Making, Collecting and Processing Wild Foods (we’ll have one or more Wild meals), in-depth Tracks and Signs, Wild Medicinal Plants, Small-Game Hunting Bows/Arrows, 2 types of Animal Traps, One type of Snare, Multi-Person Shelters (with fire), Woven Basket, and small game Hide-Tanning. You must have completed “Primitive living I” on June 2-3 at RWWJ, or have taken an equivalent class as a prerequisite to this intensive workshop in the mountains!

04/18/2014

TRANSITIONING TO THE WILD - PRIMITIVE LIVING I

This custom-made workshop is a beginner’s introduction to the fundamental stone-age skills that form the foundation for all the other subsequent series. We offer this transformative experience at the Stone-Age Village located at RAVEN’S NEST NATURE SANCTUARY. Here you will learn how to fashion rope from plant materials, build an efficient fire lit with a hand-drill kit, find and identify Wild Edible Plants, learn some basic Tracks and Signs, learn about finding Safe Drinking Water, cover basic Wilderness Hygiene, Hunt with Your hands/rocks/sticks, learn one style of Primitive Trap, Build a Basic/One-Person Shelter, and make the following: Stone Bowl, Rock Knife, Rock Saw, Mineral Paint Kit, a Woven Mat, Digging Stick, and more!

04/18/2014

STONE-AGE & WILDERNESS SURVIVAL SKILLS:

What would you do if you found yourself lost in the desert, the mountains, or any number of beautiful, yet potentially deadly environments? Would you know how to make the things that you need directly from the Natural Environment? What if you lost some or all of your modern gear, which anyway can be lost or fail altogether? Would you know what to do?

Though countless people find themselves in survival situations each year across the U.S. and the globe, few are prepared for such a calamity. If you or your family enjoy time in the great outdoors, then you owe it to yourself to empower your mind with the knowledge that may someday save lives.

Unlike many survival courses taught today, we focus exclusively on what Nature can provide, not fancy modern survival kits. At RAVENS-WAY WILD JOURNEYS we use only the surfeit of Nature, you'll learn an empowering variety of time-tested Wilderness Survival Skills. Join us and learn: Various Fire-by-Friction techniques, Natural Shelter-building, Stone-Age Tool-making, Wild Edible & Useful Plants, Flint-Knapping, Tracking, Hide Tanning, Cordage-making, Water-finding, Safety, basic Hunting & Trapping, Emergency Signaling, Natural Navigation, and much more! We invite you to learn Stone-Age Wilderness Survival Skills from an expert who has been practicing the skills and experimenting in the field for over 35 years. After you take a Wilderness Survival Workshop at RWWJ you will experience first hand the old adage - “the more you know, the less you need!”.

01/22/2013